by Carolyn Henderson

Can Anybody Be an Artist?

To capture color, movement, and emotion on canvas like this, it takes skill and thousands of hours of practice. But you can enjoy painting at any level. Mesa Walk, licensed open edition print at Light in the Box and Great Big Canvas.

“It amazes me how many people want to draw or paint. Age makes no difference; I talk with people as young as 8 and up to the century mark who confess to a burning desire to create art, as if it were a secret that they are embarrassed to let others know about.

“A frequent question they ask me is this:

“Do I have to have a special gift to do art, or is it something that can be taught, and learned?”

“Yes. And yes.

“In the same way that some people are natural mathematicians, or musicians, or speakers, athletes, or scientists — gravitating toward these fields because they have an innate aptitude for them — some people are natural artists. How good they eventually get at their art depends upon how much they train and practice. When we watch the Olympics, we understand that the natural abilities of these gifted athletes have been honed by thousands of hours of literal sweat.

“But just because we don’t strive for the Olympics doesn’t mean that the rest of us avoid basketball or skip ice skating. So it is with art — if you have a desire and a craving to learn art, then you can learn art. You may not make a living at it, but there is nothing stopping you from plunging into watercolor and steeping yourself in oil paint (not literally, please).

Part of learning to be an artist is learning how to see differently. For instance, water isn’t necessarily blue. Opalescent Sea, licensed open edition art print at Great Big Canvas.

“Just like the natural, however, you need training. Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t, and recognizing that there are basics to learn will save you hours of frustration in the future.

“And speaking of the future, a short way into it I will be posting on my website, SteveHendersonFineArt.com, Video Sequence Tutorials of artwork that you can follow and learn from, whether you are a rank beginner or a seasoned intermediate. Based upon actual workshops that I teach, the Tutorials will be available as DVDs and downloads, and will be as reasonably priced as a book.

“If you’ve been dreaming about painting something for your wall, you don’t have to dream much longer. Let’s make this a reality.”

Read more, and consider subscribing, at Start Your Week with Steve. When the Video Tutorials are available for purchase, we will let you know via the newsletter.